Rose Royce is an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and R&B group. They are best known for several

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

s during the 1970s including "

Car Wash A car wash, carwash, or auto wash is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior of motor vehicles. Car washes can be self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or fully automated (possi ...

", " I Wanna Get Next to You", " I'm Going Down", "

Wishing on a Star "Wishing on a Star" is a slow ballad written by former The Undisputed Truth member Billie Rae Calvin and produced by Norman Whitfield. The song was originally offered to Barbra Streisand for her album project but later declined. It was first ...

", and "

Love Don't Live Here Anymore "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" is a song written by Miles Gregory and originally recorded by Rose Royce. It was produced by former Motown songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield for Whitfield Records. Lead vocals were sung by Gwen Dickey a ...

Career

The

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

-based group comprised

Gwen Dickey Gwen Dickey (born December 1, 1953) is an American-born British singer best known as the front-woman of the R&B band Rose Royce, where she performed under the name Rose Norwalt. Her most recognized songs include "Car Wash" and "Wishing on a Star ...

(vocals), Henry Garner (drums), Terral "Terry" Santiel (congas), Lequeint "Duke" Jobe (bass), Michael Moore (saxophone), Kenny Copeland (trumpet, lead vocals), Kenji Brown (guitar, lead vocals), Freddie Dunn (trumpet), and Victor Nix (keyboards). The group began in the early 1970s when members of several backup bands from the

Watts Watts is plural for ''watt'', the unit of power. Watts may also refer to: People *Watts (surname), list of people with the surname Watts Fictional characters *Watts, main character in the film '' Some Kind of Wonderful'' *Watts family, six chara ...

and Inglewood areas of Los Angeles united under the name Total Concept Unlimited. In 1973, this collective toured England and Japan behind Motown soul star

Edwin Starr Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. Starr was famous for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the number-one ...

. Starr introduced them to

Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s. allmusic Biography/ref> He has been credited as one of the creators of the Mo ...

. Whitfield, after a decade at Motown, wanted to start a company of his own. He took the T.C.U.

octet Octet may refer to: Music * Octet (music), ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices, or composition written for such an ensemble ** String octet, a piece of music written for eight string instruments *** Octet (Mendelssohn), 1825 compos ...

under his wing and signed them to his label. The group, now called Magic Wand, began working with

Yvonne Fair Flora Yvonne Fair Strain (''née'' Coleman; October 21, 1942 – March 6, 1994), known professionally as Yvonne Fair, was an American singer, best known for her 1975 recording of " It Should Have Been Me". Life and career Flora Yvonne Coleman ...

and became the studio and concert band for

The Undisputed Truth The Undisputed Truth was an American Motown recording act, assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield as a means for being able to experiment with his psychedelic soul production techniques. Joe "Pep" Harris served as main lead singer, with ...

. During a tour stop in Miami, Undisputed Truth leader Joe Harris noticed a singer named

, then a member of a local group called The Jewels. Harris informed Whitfield of his discovery and Dickey was flown to Los Angeles to audition. In Dickey, Whitfield asked Gwen to join the band, and gave her the state name of Rose Norwalt. This was the lineup for the band's debut album. During this time, Whitfield was contacted by film director

Michael Schultz Michael Schultz (born November 10, 1938) is an American director and producer of theater, film and television. Life and career Schultz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of an African-American mother Katherine Frances Leslie (1917-1995) ...

, fresh from the success of his first feature, ''

Cooley High ''Cooley High'' is a 1975 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film that follows the narrative of high school seniors and best friends, Leroy "Preach" Jackson ( Glynn Turman) and Richard "Cochise" Morris (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs). Written by Eric ...

''. Schultz offered Whitfield the opportunity to score his next picture, ''

''. Whitfield would use the film to launch his new group and began composing music based on script outlines. He and the band visited the film set, soaking up the atmosphere. The band composed the music concurrently with the picture instead of after the fact, which wasn't very common at the time. In the spirit of the soundtrack, the band's name was changed one final time to 'Rose Royce'. The name not only referenced the movie's automotive theme, but it also placed Gwen "Rose" Dickey front and center. Further, it hinted at a touch of class the band strove to bring to 1970s soul-funk. The movie ''Car Wash'' and the soundtrack were great successes, bringing the group national fame. Whitfield won the Best Music award at the Cannes Film Festival, and the album received the Grammy for Best Motion Picture Score Album of the Year. Released in late 1976, the soundtrack featured three

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

R&B top ten singles: "

", " I Wanna Get Next to You", and " I'm Going Down". The first of these was also a number one single on the Billboard popular music chart, and "I Wanna Get Next to You" reached number 10. The group's follow-up album, ''Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom'', produced two top ten singles, "Do Your Dance" and "

Ooh Boy "Ooh Boy" (sometimes known as "Ooh Boy (I Love You So)") is a song written by Norman Whitfield and originally recorded by American soul and R&B group Rose Royce for their second album, '' In Full Bloom'' (1977). It was released as the third si ...

". It also included "

", which for Rose Royce was a top-10 hit only in the UK; it became notable elsewhere through its cover versions, including

The Cover Girls The Cover Girls are an all-female, New York city-based freestyle group that achieved most of its chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Among the group's best-known songs are " Show Me, " " Because of You," “ Don't Stop Now,” ...

' top ten single in 1992. In 1978, they released their third album, entitled ''Rose Royce III: Strikes Again!'', and it featured "I'm in Love (And I Love the Feeling)" and "

". Both singles entered the Billboard R&B Top Five. "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" was a number 2 hit in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and would later gain greater exposure through its cover versions, most notably by

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

in 1984 and 1995. The group followed with a series of modest successes that reached the charts but never gained the status that their previous songs did. Dickey left the group in April 1980 and Rose Royce temporarily disbanded. However, the remaining members regrouped, adjusted the line-up, and kept the group somewhat popular in the UK, where they remained a marquee attraction. Rose Royce was featured in TV One's seasonal series, ''Unsung'' during the spring of 2010. The story featured the successes and internal bickering of the group. Dickey, Copeland, Jobe, Moore and Garner were the only members of the band who gave interviews throughout the program. Dickey now performs as a solo artist in the UK but mentioned during the interview that she would not mind performing with the group once again. From 2012 to 2013, R&B vocalist

Debelah Morgan Debelah Laksh Morgan (born September 29, 1977) is an American singer and songwriter. Morgan is best known for her hit single " Dance with Me" off of her third studio album, which reached No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Early life and educ ...

joined the band as their lead singer for a few shows. Additionally,

Bag Raiders Bag Raiders are an Australian electronic music duo founded in 2006 by Jack Glass and Chris Stracey. They play keyboards, drums, and act as vocalists, producers, and remixers, with Stracey additionally playing guitar, violin and piano. They also ...

and

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...

sampled their single "First Come First Served" with the songs " Shooting Stars" and " Too Long" respectively.

Discography

* ''

'' (1976) * '' In Full Bloom'' (1977) * ''

Strikes Again ''Strikes Again'' is the third album by funk band Rose Royce, released on the Whitfield label in August 1978. It was produced by Norman Whitfield. History The album peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' R&B albums chart and number 28 on ...

'' (1978) * '' Rainbow Connection IV'' (1979) * ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' (1980) * ''Golden Touch'' (1980) * ''Jump Street'' (1981) * ''Stronger Than Ever'' (1982) * ''Music Magic'' (1984) * ''The Show Must Go On'' (1985) ''(unreleased)'' * ''Fresh Cut'' (1986) * ''Perfect Lover'' (1989)

Cover versions

*" I'm Going Down" (

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

, Y?N-Vee) *"

" (

Morrissey–Mullen Morrissey–Mullen were a British jazz-funk/fusion group of the 1970s and 1980s. Considered one of the most popular jazz groups in London, the band was led by Dick Morrissey on tenor and soprano saxes and flute, and Jim Mullen on guitar, who joi ...

I'm Talking I'm Talking are an Australian funk-pop music, pop rock band, which featured vocalists Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne. They formed in 1983 in Melbourne and provided top ten hit singles "Trust Me (I'm Talking song), Trust Me", "Do You Wanna Be?" ...

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

Jimmy Nail James Michael Aloysius Bradford (born 16 March 1954), known as Jimmy Nail, is an English singer-songwriter, actor, film producer, and television writer. He played the role of Leonard "Oz" Osborne in the television show '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' ...

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

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, Jully Black,

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Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

and

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stor ...

) *"

" (Fresh 4 ft. Lizz E,

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Bic Runga Briolette Kah Bic Runga (born 13 January 1976), recording as Bic Runga, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist pop artist. Her first three studio albums debuted at number one on the New Zealand Top 40 Album charts. Runga ...

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, 88.3 Featuring Lisa May,

Marion Meadows Marion Meadows is an Americans, American soprano saxophonist and composer, mainly in smooth jazz. He was born in West Virginia and grew up mainly in Connecticut. His first album as a leader was ''For Lovers Only'' in 1990. He has had several oth ...

, X Factor United Kingdom Finalists 2011) *" I Wanna Get Next to You" (

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, Raja-Nee', Double Trouble) *"

" (

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

, Andy Caine & The Easy Virtue Orchestra) In addition,

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recorded his own song, also called "

", for which Gwen Dickey re-recorded some of her original lyrics and was credited as a featured artist, and the song "

Theme from S-Express "Theme from S-Express" is an acid house song by British electronic dance music group S'Express, from their debut studio album, ''Original Soundtrack'' (1989), written and produced by Mark Moore and Pascal Gabriel. One of the landmarks of early ...

" by

S-Express S'Express (pronounced ''ess-express''; sometimes spelled S'Xpress or S-Express) were a British dance music act from the late 1980s, who had one of the earliest commercial successes in the acid house genre. "Theme from S'Express", which containe ...

uses a substantial portion of "Is It Love You're After" as a sample.

Notes

References

External links

*
2010 Rose Royce interview2015 Gwen Dickey audio interview2016 Gwen Dickey audio interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royce, Rose American soul musical groups African-American musical groups Motown artists American funk musical groups Musical groups established in 1973